Against wishes, Vaughn held out

By JOHN ROMANO

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 5, 2000

ST. PETERSBURG -- Greg Vaughn said he is prepared to play. Larry Rothschild said Vaughn will be even more prepared Friday.

The Devil Rays slugger was expecting to come off the disabled list Tuesday, but he was told by the manager that he would sit until the Florida series begins Friday.

Vaughn has been on the disabled list since June 15 with a hamstring strain that has kept him out of the starting lineup for 30 of the past 37 games.

By keeping Vaughn on the bench Tuesday and today, the Rays pick up a third day of rest with Thursday's off day.

"I just need to know when I put him back in that we're not at risk," Rothschild said. "There are no guarantees, but I think these two days are important to make sure he's ready to go and he's done everything he can on it to push it and test it.

"He wants to play; that's real clear. I just made the decision after thinking about all these things."

Vaughn clearly was unhappy with the decision and declined to talk about his status.

"You have to go ask them about it," Vaughn said. "I don't have any idea what they're thinking."

Vaughn tweaked the hamstring in late May and landed on the disabled list after he tried to come back too soon.

"I would love to put him in the lineup at any point, but I have to know with a clear conscience that I'm not pushing him because I want him in the lineup so bad," Rothschild said.

The delay also gives the Rays time to decide on a roster move. Randy Winn is one of the few players with minor-league options remaining and would be a logical candidate to be sent down when Vaughn returns, but he is their only healthy centerfielder with Gerald Williams still nursing a hip injury.

DANGEROUS GROUND: Faced with his third abbreviated outing in his past four starts, Cory Lidle acknowledged his place in the rotation could be shaky.

Lidle is 1-3 with an 8.07 ERA in seven starts. He is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA in eight appearances as a reliever.

"If (Rothschild) wants to put me in the bullpen, that's fine. That's his decision. I don't mind being there," Lidle said. "Right now, unless I find out what's going on really quick, that's probably the best thing for the team."

The Rays do not need a fifth starter again until July 17. If Lidle is bumped, they would have several options. Dave Eiland likely would be off the disabled list by then, and reliever Doug Creek has been strong.

Tanyon Sturtze also might have entered the mix after throwing 5 2/3 strong innings in relief of Lidle on Tuesday. Sturtze, who tied Bryan Rekar's team record for relief innings in a game, has given up two runs in his past 11 1/3 innings.

"I've always been a starter, so I'd be happy if they wanted me to do that," Sturtze said. "But right now, I'm doing whatever they want me to do."

STRETCH RUN: Esteban Yan was pitching out of the stretch Monday night to protect a stiff back, though eventually it could protect his job in the rotation.

Rothschild said Yan sometimes has trouble repeating his delivery consistently and working from the stretch simplifies it. Yan went five innings and gave up four runs.

"I don't think he had as many moving parts to deal with, and his stuff was still real good. The arm strength was there, and he threw a lot of good off-speed pitches that way," Rothschild said. "Maybe it's not just an experiment."

Yan could be pitching out of the bullpen this week, but that does not mean he is out of the rotation.

With the All-Star break coming up and offering flexibility with the pitching staff, Rothschild said he would be willing to use Yan in relief today or Friday.

Yan has struggled in the rotation for the past month.

"I'm still looking at him as a starting pitcher," Rothschild said.

FAMILIAR GROUND: Even in retirement, Wade Boggs remains an All-Star draw. The 12-time All-Star third baseman has been invited for the celebrity challenge festivities in Atlanta on Sunday. Now a special assistant to the general manager with the Rays, Boggs said he took batting practice Tuesday to keep his stroke sharp.

"It sounds like it'll be fun," Boggs said. "We'll see if I can put a few balls in the seats."

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.

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